Emulsifier



F. W. KNOTT EMULSIFIER Oct. 11, 193$.

Filed July 16, 1937 1 NV ENT OR. 51 1/71 14 fih'of-r" BY W Z/aqATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 11, 1938 PATENT OFFICE EMULSIFIER Frank W. Knott, Detroit,Mich, assignor to John Duval Dodge, Grosse PointqMlch.

Application July 16, 1937, Serial No. 153,928 3 Claims. (01. 99-265)This invention relates to emulsifying heads, and the purpose of theinvention is to provide a means for emulsifying various liquids and ispar- I ticularly adapted for the emulsiflcation of milk to provide aproduct that is stable in that the butter fat does not separate from thebody of the liquid in the form of a coagulated mass.

Various means have heretofore been devised for this general purpose andusually are of a form in which the liquid is forced between closelyopposed surfaces to cause the liquid to flow in thin film and aresomewhat ineffective due to the fact that fat globules are merelyflattened and not disrupted.

The object of this invention is to provide a device in which the liquidthat is to be emulsified is forced under pressure in very fine streams,which streams in their progress through successive sections of thedevice discharge against flat surfaces and change in the direction offlow to again pass in fine streams to discharge against another flatsurface and again change in direction of flow to thereby secure what maybe termed a bombardment of the liquid constituents to cause apractically complete disruption of fat globules.

A feature of this invention resides in the provision of a series offinely apertured plates through which the liquid is passed in successionand this liquid assembles in a thin film between the plates, as isprovided for by the construction of the succeeding plates, and is therechanged in its direction of flow to again pass through a second andsucceeding series of films and streams to finally discharge inemulsified condition from the device.

It is also a feature and object of the invention to provide acomparatively inexpensive mechanical structure for producing the abovedescribed results.

The preferred form of the device embodying my invention is shown 'in theaccompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of anemulsifymg device embodying my invention.

- Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of a. series of plates showing therelationship of the apertures in and recesses between the successiveplates forming the flow path of the liquid.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the recessed plates.

In Fig. 1 is shown an emulsifying head embodying my invention whichcomprises a hollow body I, a cap 2 at the upper end having a con-,

duit like portion 3 providing an inlet to the body through which fluidmay be introduced. The body also has a cap member 4 at the discharge endhaving an outlet conduit 6 for the emulsified liquid. The cap 2 isthreaded into the upper end of the body to engagement with the end plate6 of a series of plates 6, 1, 6 and 9' but the number of plates may beeven more or lessthan what is here shown, more being required for suchliquids as are more diflicult to emulsify. The plate 9 at the outlet endof the body rests on a 1 ledge ID of the casing and the cap member 2 hasa threaded flange H engaging the plate 6 at the inlet end by means ofwhich portions of the surfaces of the plates are held in pressurecontact for which purpose these plates are provided with 15 finishedcontacting surfaces to prevent a flow of fluid between the same.

The end plates 6 and 9 are respectively spaced from the inlet and outletopenings of the body providing an inlet and an outlet chamber. The 2 endplate 6 of the series has a series of flne apertures l2 preferablyregularly arranged in concentric circles and opening through the uppersurface of the plate 6 and these apertures below the upper surface openthrough the bottom sur- 25 face of the plate by a larger diameterportion as is shown in the sectional view Fig. 2. The second plate I andthe succeeding plates have a ring like recess B in the upper facethereof and thus liquid which is forced under .pressure from the 30inlet conduit 3 into the device passes through the apertures l2 and theninto a recess in the face of the next plate when the streams unite in athin film. The plate 1 and the succeeding plates having the similarrecesses l3 in the upper 35 faces also have fine concentrically arrangedapertures l4 extending through each of the plates and the succeedingplates are so located in respect one to the other as to offset ormisalign the aperturesthat is, the apertures I2 of the 40 plate 6discharge streams of liquid against the second plate between aperturesl4 thereof. By this arrangement, the fluid cannot pass in continuousstreams through the device but in passing through the plate 6 into therecess l3 of the plate 45 1 are required to flow at a right angle to thedirection in which the fluid is flowing in the apertures of the plate 6and then again change and flow at a right angle to the direction of flowin the recess l3 of the plate I to a similar recess 50 in a succeedingplate and this right angled change in direction of flow is rapid in thepassage of liquid through the series of plates.

It is to be noted that, as the fluid passes through the apertures I! ofthe plate 6, they 5 strike against the flat face of the succeeding plate8 and this provides what I have termed a "bombardment of the liquid indischarging through the successive plates. The succeeding plates and theform and relationship thereof therefore first force the fluid into veryfine streams .in which the fat globules are to some degree disrupted andto some degree elongated and then they pass under pressure into therecess l3 which ehanges their direction of flow abruptly and tends tocause disruption of fat globules. This is repeated a number of times tocomplete the breaking up of the fat globules and consequentemulsiflcation of the liquid.

In the preferred construction of the device, the apertures I! in theplate 6 at the entrance end are about .020 of an inch in diameter andthe apertures through the remaining plates of the series areapproximately of the same diameter and while here shown as being ofuniform diameter through the plates 1, 8 and Q, they may be enlarged atthe discharge end if desired after the manner shown in plate 6. Theplates 1, 8 and 9 are recessed in their upper surfaces to a depth offive to seven thousandths of an inch and provide for quite minutestreams of fluid Passing through the plates and a very thin film offluid between successive plates wherein bombardment takes place as wellas a change in direction of flow. The recesses are preferably ring likein form having a central portion [5 in the same plane as the peripheralportion of the plate. The recessed plates thus support the contactingplate peripherally and centrally.

From the foregoing description, it is believed evident that the deviceis of simple and nexpensive character and may be varied in size tocorrespond with the amount of liquid to be discharged to the device perunit of time and that the various features and objects of the inventionare attained by the structure described.

Having thus briefly described my invention, its

utility and mode of operation, ,what I claim and Y surface contact inthe chambered member, all the plates having apertures extendingtherethrough at a right angle to their contacting surfaces and with theapertures of one plate out of alignment with apertures of the succeedingplate, each of the plates, except the first, having the face thereof incontact with a preceding plate recessed slightly whereby the streamsdischarging through a preceding plate strike against an impervioussurface and then change indirection of travel in a thin fllni underpressure to pass through the apertures of the recessed plate.

2. An emulsifying head comprising a chambered member having an inlet andan outlet, a series of plates secured in surface contact therein withthe end plates thereof in spaced relation respectively with the inletand outlet, each of the said plates having a series of small diameterapertures therethrough and so arranged that the apertures of one plateare out of alignment with those of a succeeding plate, each of theplates, except the first, having a shallow recess in its surface towardthe inlet side of the chamber providing a construction in which theliquid passes in a series of minute streams to each of the recesses insuccession wherein the streams unite in a thinfilm and dischargetherefrom through the apertures of the plate.

3. An emulsifying head comprising a chambered member having an inlet andoutlet, a series of metal plates therein arranged in succession insurface contact, all of the plates having apertures extendingtherethrough at a right angle to the contacting surfaces with theapertures of successive plates respectively out of alignment, means forsupporting the plates in pressure contact, the two end plates of theseries being spaced respectively from the inlet and from the outletproviding chambers on the respective inlet and outlet sides, the face efeach plate in contact with the other having recesses of ring like formproviding a central and a peripheral portion for contact with thepreceding plate, said apertures and the recesses of the platefunctioning to cause an abrupt change in the direction of flow of liquidthrough the device to thereby emulsify the liquid passing to the outlet.

FRANK W. KNO'II.

